Window unit



April 7, 1959 H. E. MILLS 2,880,475

WINDOW UNIT Filed May lO. 1957 l 2 Sheets-Sheel 2 4Z 4g INVENTOR.

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United States Patent O WINDOW UNIT Herbert E. Mills, Detroit, Mich., assignor to Mills Products, Inc., Walled Lake, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application May 10, 1957, Serial No. 658,426` i 7 claims. (Cl. '2o- 565) This invention relates to a double glazed window unit suitable for use in a stove door or as a window or door unit in a building and has particular relation to a window unit of this type in which the space between the glass panels is evacuated to provide good insulating quali ties and to prevent the formation of condensation due to temperature differences between the inner and outer panels. The invention is also directed to a novel method of evacuating and then sealing the space between the spaced glass panels.

A principal object .of the invention is to provide a new and improved vacuum type double glazed window unit. A further object of the invention is to provide a double glazed window unit which is economical to manufacture and assemble and which is provided with a novel valve by means of which the space between the panels may be evacuated and then sealed. Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of evacuating and sealing space between a pair of window panels in a double glazed window unit.

Other and further objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description and claims and may be understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, of which there are two sheets, which by wayl of illustration show a preferred embodiment of the in-v vention and what I now consider to be the best mode in which I have contemplated applying the principles of my invention. Other embodiments of the invention may be used without departing from the scope of the present invention as set forth in the appended claims.

Inthe drawings: i'

Fig. l is an elevational view of the improved double glazed window unit of this invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional View taken on line 2-2 of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 is an exploded sectional view of the parts cornprising the window unit;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view illustrating one step in the assembly of the Window unit;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 4 and showing a subsequent operation in the assembly of the unit;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illustrating one step in the evacuation of the unit; and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view illus trating the condition of the valve after the unit has been evacuated and sealed.

The window unit illustrated in the drawings comprises a pair of spaced glass panels 10 and 12 and a clamping and sealing member 14 for maintaining the panels 10 and 12 in spaced parallel relation in the assembly. The spacing member 14 is preferably made as an extruded strip of aluminum and has a central spacing portion 16 and lateral edge portions 18. The spacer portion 16 may be provided with a groove 20 at each side thereof adapted to receive the continuous resilient gasket 22 which may be made of any suitable material such as silicone rubber.

The spacer 14 may be bent to the required shape, and its meeting ends may be welded or otherwise secured together to provide an air-tight construction in the assemis illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 from which it will be seen that the gaskets 22 are rst placed within the peripheral grooves 20 in the spacer 14 and the glass panels 10 and 12 are then pushed up against the gaskets 22 and rest upon the lateral edges 18 of the spacer 14. The spacer 14 is supported on a pair of movable die blocks 24 which are slidably supported beneath a pair of supports 26, each of which engages one of the panels 10 or 12 along one edge thereof to initially position the glass panels relative to the spacer.

The movable die blocks 24 are actuated by rams 28, each of which is slidably guided by a bolt 30 secured to one of the supports 26. A spring 32 reacts between each ram 28 and its associated support 26 to urge the blocks 24 to theirlretracted positions shown in Fig. 4. When the die blocks 24 are actuated, the edge portions 18 of the spacer 14 are bent inwardly against the outerA edge portions of the glass panels 10 and 12 as 'illustrated in Fig. 5 to securely clamp the panels in sealing engagement against the gaskets 22. The panels 10 and 12 are sealed completely around their peripheries in the manner described, and the unit is then ready to be evacuated and sealed.

At a suitable point in the periphery of the spacer 14 there is provided an opening 36 which may be inwardly tapered as vshown vor otherwise constricted for a purpose to be described. The opening 36 is counter-bored at its outer end as at 38. A plug valve 40 is adapted to be inserted into the opening 36 and the space between the panels may be evacuated through the valve 40 which also seals the opening 36 after the unit is evacuated.

The valve 40 is made of a suitable resilient, deformable material such as silicone rubber, and as shown in Fig. 6, in its normal or unstressed condition the valve 40 has a tapered inner end 42 and an annular curled outer rim 44, and the valve body is provided with an aperture 46 of suitable shape through which the space between the panels may be evacuated. l

One step in the evacuation of the unit is illustrated in Fig'. 6 which discloses an evacuating tube 48 placed against the outer end of the valve 40. The aperture 46 in the valve is normally open when the valve is partially inserted into the opening 36 in the manner illustrated in Fig. 6, so that the unit may be evacuated through the tube 48v at such time. After the unit has been evacuated,

bly. Assembly of the unit the valve 40 is pushed inwardly further into the opening 36 by an axially directed force applied through' tube 48. As the inner end portion of the valve 40 passes through the opening 36 the valve body is constricted and deformed into the position shown in Fig. 7 iu such manner as to close off and seal the aperture 46. It will be noted that the inner end 42 of the valve body passes completely through the opening 36 and thereupon expands to its unconstricted condition to provide a means for yieldingly retaining the valve 40 in sealed condition within the opening 36. The outer flange 44 of the valve is seated firmly against the counterbore 38 to prevent the valve from being pushed too far through the opening 36. The tube 48 is then removed and the aperture 46 will remain completely sealed to maintain the evacuated atmosphere within the unit.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it is understood that this is capable of modification, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the precise details set forth but desire to avail myself of such changes and alterations as fall within the purview of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A double glazed closure unit including spaced glass panels and a continuous spacer disposed between said panels at their edges, said spacer having an inwardly tapered opening therein communicating with the space between Said panels, and a plug valve of resilient, deformable material having an aperture therethrough, said valve being insertable into said opening in said spacer 1n a first position in which said aperture is opened to said space to permit evacuation of said space, said valve being deformable by an axially inwardly directed force into a second position in which the taper of said opening constricts the body of said valve to close the aperture therein, the inner end of said valve being adapted to pass inward.- ly through said tapered opening and to thereupon expand beyond the contines of the inner end of said opening to yieldingly retain said valve in said opening.

2. A double glazed closure unit including spaced glass panels and a continuous sealing and spacing member disposed between said panels at their edges, said member having an opening therein communicating with the space between said panels, and a plug valve of resilient, deformable material having an aperture therethrough, said valve being insertable into said opening in said member in a irst position in which said aperture is opened to said space to permit evacuation thereof, said valve being deformable by an axially inwardly directed force into a second position in said opening in which the said opening deforms and constricts said valve to seal the aperture therein.

3. A double glazed closure unit comprising a pair of spaced glass panels, a continuous spacer between said panels at their edges, a continuous gasket providing a seal between said spacer and each glass panel, said spacer having its lateral edge portions bent inwardly, upon assembly of the unit, against the outer edge surfaces of said panels to clamp said panels against said gaskets, anda plug valve of resilient material inserted through an opening in said spacer and having an aperture through which the space between said panels may be evacuated, said plug valve being deformed by insertion thereof into said opening after evacuation of said space to thereby seal the aperture through said plug valve.

4. A double glazed closure unit comprising a pair of spaced glass panels, a continuous extruded spacer between said panels at their edges, a continuous gasket providing a seal between said spacer and each glass panel, said spacer having its lateral edge portions bent inwardly, upon assembly of the unit, against the outer edge surfaces of said panels to clamp said panels against said gaskets, said spacer having an opening therein communicating with the space between said panels, and a valve body of resilient, deformable material inserted into `said opening in said spacer and having an aperture through which the space between said panels may be evacuated, said valve body being deformed and constricted by insertion thereof into said opening thereby to seal the aperture in said valve body, said valve body having an unconstricted inner end larger than the inner end of said opening to retain said valve body in said opening.

5. A method of evacuating and then sealing the space between a pair of spaced glass panels having a continuous spacer therebetween, which method comprises forming an opening through said spacer leading tothe space between said panels, providing a plug valve of resilient, deformable material having an aperture therethrough, inserting said plug valve partially into said opening, evacuating the space between said panels through the aperture in said plug valve, and then forcing said valve further into said opening to deform and constrict said valve and thereby seal said aperture.

6. A method of evacuating and then sealing the space between a pair of spaced glass panels having a continuous spacer therebetween, which method comprises forming an inwardly tapered hole through said spacer leading to the space between said panels, forming a plug valve of resilient, deformable material having an aperture therethrough, inserting said plug valve partially into said tapered opening with its said aperture open, evacuating the space between said panels through the aperture in said plug Valve, and then exerting an axially inwardly directed force on said plug valve to force its inner end further into said tapered opening to deform and constrict said valve and thereby seal the aperture in said valve.

7. A method of evacuating and then sealing the space between a pair of spaced glass panels having a continuous spacer therebetween, which method comprises forming an inwardly constricted opening through said spacer leading to the space between said panels, providing a plug valve of resilient, deformable material having an aperture therethrough, inserting said plug valve partially into said opening, applying an evacuating tube to the outer end of said valve and evacuating the space between said panels through said aperture and tube and then exerting an axially inwardly directed force on said tube to force said valve further into said constricted opening to deform and constrict said Valve and thereby seal the aperture therein, and withdrawing said tube from said valve.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Phillips Nov. 27, 1934 

